📅 17 October (Friday), 🕑 16:00 – 19:00
📍 The Collective’s creative space, Maria Luiza 16, Sofia
*The event will be held in English.
*The event requires mandatory registration: Sign up here 👉 https://forms.gle/PjjTGVzF697BbMCe6
16:00 – 16:15 | Arrival and Registration
16:15 – 16:25 | Official Welcome (Introduction of EUNIC Bulgaria, TaM, and the Collective)
16:25 – 17:00 | Presentation of the Project “Transformative Urbanism – Reconnecting People with Yantra River”
17:00 – 17:15 | Screening of a Short Documentary Film Showcasing the Process
17:15 – 17:25 | Reflections and Insights from Local Participants
17:25 – 17:35 | Reflections and Insights from the TaM Team
17:35 – 17:45 | Reflections and Insights from EUNIC Members
17:45 – 18:00 | Audience Q&A Session
18:00 – 19:00 | Catering and Celebration
On 17 October we invite you to celebrate the results of “Transformative Urbanism – Reconnecting People with Yantra River”, a project that is now coming to a close.
Launched in January 2025 by EUNIC Global, together with the Bulgarian branches of the cultural institutes of the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as well as the Austrian Embassy, the Collective Foundation, and TaM, the initiative revitalized the connection between Veliko Tarnovo and its often-forgotten Yantra River.
Through multi-level community engagement, youth empowerment and the creation of an open space gallery along the riverbank, the project transformed the riverside into a lively cultural and meeting place. In the course of five months local youth collaborated with architects, urbanists and design specialists in a series of workshops, gaining new skills and creating real life public space installations along the river.
Central to the programme was a European-wide open call for artists on the theme “Rivers of the Past”. From over 130 applications, 12 artworks were selected to be displayed in the new riverside gallery, reflecting Europe’s cultural and ecological connections to rivers.
The cultural programme in the newly transformed space by the river began in early August and reached its peak during the 48 Hours Varusha South Festival (15–17 August), bringing together community dinners, workshops, games, and cultural events, that turned the Yantra’s banks into a lively gathering point for both locals and visitors.
Beyond youth and artists, the project engaged a wide network of stakeholders: academics, municipal authorities, local residents, architects, and cultural professionals. EUNIC Bulgaria also contributed to the broader dialogue on rivers through its active role in the annual Rivers of the City conference, where international partners shared inspiring examples of river revitalisation across Europe.
The final celebration will bring together partners, participants, organisers, and everyone curious to hear about this journey. It marks not just the end of a project, but the beginning of a renewed relationship between Veliko Tarnovo and its river.
“Transformative Urbanism – reconnecting people with Yantra river” is a project funded by EUNIC Bulgaria and is implemented by The Collective and VT Events. EUNIC is the European network of national cultural institutes and organizations, with 39 members from all EU countries and associated states. The European partners in this project are the Bulgarian representations of the cultural institutes of the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as well as the Austrian Embassy.
